Ontario/Quebec Ottawa/Gatineau 30 December 2011 Hotline: Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club Phone number: 613-860-9000 For the Bird Status Line PRESS * (star) To report bird sightings PRESS 1 (one) Coverage: Ottawa/Gatineau (Canada National Capital Region) E. Ontario,W. Quebec Compiler & transcriber: Chris Lewis [email protected], or [email protected]
The end of the year saw an interesting mix of lingering birds and some that were more expected for the season. Back on the 22nd there were still 2 SNOW GEESE at the large quarry pond on Moodie Dr. south of Trail Rd., a GREEN-WINGED TEAL was a first record for the Pakenham-Arnprior Christmas Bird Count on the 26th, and 2 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS were on the Ottawa River off Andrew Haydon Park on the 22nd. A female BARROW'S GOLDENEYE was on the river by the Champlain bridge on the 26th. Other late water-birds included a RED-THROATED LOON at the Deschenes rapids from the 22nd to the 27th, and a smattering of COMMON LOONS, HORNED GREBES and RED-NECKED GREBES in various locations over the past two weeks. A GREAT BLUE HERON was on a frozen pond on Giroux Rd. east of Frank Kenny Rd. on the 26th where an adult BALD EAGLE was attending a deer carcass. Additional reports of BALD EAGLES came from other locations mostly east of Ottawa, and an AMERICAN COOT was among the many MALLARDS on the Rideau River at Billings Bridge on the 22nd and 23rd. On the 26th a covey of 9 GRAY PARTRIDGE was flushed from a field by a COMMON RAVEN along Terry Fox Dr. south of Richardon Side Rd. in Kanata. Acouple of GLAUCOUS GULLS were spotted near the Trail Rd. landfill as well as on the Ottawa River. RED-BELLIED WOODPECKERS previously reported earlier in the month are evidently still in Pakenham and Carleton Place. NORTHERN SHRIKES were again reported around the region, the NORTHERN FLICKER and CAROLINA WREN in the Britannia Conservation Area were alive and well as of the 22nd. Six EASTERN BLUEBIRDS on the 27th were a surprising number for this date and a new species for the Carleton Place Christmas Bird Count. A HERMIT THRUSH that showed up at a property on Ch. Blackburn in Val-des-monts, Quebec on the 24th was still feeding on berries and suet on the 28th, and numerous AMERICAN ROBINS continue to persist in several locations. Late sparrows included a CHIPPING SPARROW seen again on Ch. Sunset in Gatineau on the 23rd, a FOX SPARROW on private (inaccessible) property in Dunrobin from the 22nd until at least the 27th, and a WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW on a property in Orleans on the 27th. A report of 100's of LAPLAND LONGSPURS with a few HORNED LARKS and good numbers of SNOW BUNTINGS came in on the 26th, from Bolt Rd. north of Alfred. Finch reports included a half-dozen PURPLE FINCHES (at the same property with the Hermit Thrush) on the 28th, and at least 6 RED CROSSBILLS on the Eardley-Masham Rd. in the Gatineau hills on the 23rd. Thank you - Good Birding & a HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to [email protected] For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
